Rejection, Rejection, Rejection
by crazyvegimab
Summary: This wasn't how Jordan had planned to spend his Valantine's day. Still, to discover just how similair he and Aikka are is something in itself. Is it really possible for them to put aside their differences? -One Shot-


**Rejected, Rejected, Rejected**

Disclaimer: I don't own the greatness of Oban, blah, blah, blah.

Author's Note: When I first thought about writing a Valentine's Day fic, I wanted to write something AikkaJordan. Mainly because there's so little support for it, and also because it amuses me extremely. In the end, it just became a little banter between the two, which is just as good I suppose.

This was not exactly how Jordan had planning to spend the Valentine's Day of his seventeenth year. Here he was, sitting alone in a pub on a planet maybe a million kilometers from his own little blue speck. Actually, Jordan realized as he slipped a pale green liquid that had a slight opaqueness and the consistency of fresh milk, he had never really planned out how he was going to spend this day. He had assumed that he would still be at that military academy, but here was, a contestant in one of the greatest intergalactic competitions ever held. Though he had been seriously pumped when the Avatar had first spoken, he was starting to wonder what the big fuss was all about. Seriously, teasing mechanics, a team manager who needed an anger management class, stupid alien rivals, and a sensitive partner who as going to end up getting herself killed via some crazy stunt. Yah, some things weren't as great as they cracked themselves up to be. Still, Jordan's thoughts wandered back to his crazy partner, it hadn't been a complete bust. I mean, he had met Molly, that was worth it right?

Molly.

If only she wasn't so dense. He cared so deeply for her, but look how she reacted! Jordan stared into his cup. A thoughtful, forlorn Earthling stared back at him from the fruity liquid. Of all days for her to completely discard his words, it had to be today, Valentines Day. Why couldn't she just listen, just accept him? They had been through so much together: So many battles, so many victories. And yet, he still couldn't be close to her. Well, as close as he wanted anyways. Maybe he wanted too much. Maybe they were never meant to be more than partners.

"To hell with being partners!" He suddenly told his angry reflection. A few scrubs and other aliens who were sitting near by gave him inquisitive looks, but he ignored them. He cared so deeply for her, he was always looking after her, heck he would even sacrifice himself for her. But it didn't seem to matter how he felt. She didn't feel the same, end of topic. Jordan was so involved in a staring contest with the face in his murky green drink that he didn't notice as a familiar alien sat down next to him, ordering one of those O-Fish sodas that this particular pub was so famous for.

"Did she reject you too?" Asked the calm voice of the new arrival, who wasn't quite strange enough to actually be considered a stranger.

"Huh?" Jordan looked up with a stupid expression on the face that was no longer reflected in a juice drink. The Prince of Nourasia stared back at Jordan with an expression the Earther could recognize as irritation. He looked much the same as usual, with his hair done up in three ridiculous pony tails, and brown armor with pale cotton-like clothing beneath. Every time Jordan saw the Prince's hair style, he couldn't help but be reminded of one of the kids at his military academy who had a Mohawk. One night as a prank, some kids had gotten together and shaved off chunks of his Mohawk, leaving it like a patch of badly cut grass. It had the same affect as Aikka's pony tails really.

The frown on the Nourasian's delicate features deepened, he was obviously not accustomed to finding it necessary to repeat himself. Jordan inwardly grinned, _Serves him right, the stuck up loser. _"I said: did Molly refuse you as well?" It took Jordan a few seconds to grasp what Aikka had said. His face turned inside out as his inner grin appeared outside face when he understood the meaning behind Aikka's words.

"And here I though she liked you." He told Aikka with sardonic tone. It was good to see _Princey Boy_ without his arrogant smile.

Aikka was a prince, and was trained to act as so. Still, it took all his skills to resist the temptation to stuff his cup of O-Fish soda down the Earther's throat. What grudge did the Earth gunner hold against him anyways? Since the day they had first met, he had done nothing but insult and anger Aikka. The Nourasian couldn't help but wonder if Jordan was the Gods' way of punishing him for all the mischief he had caused as a child.

"I was asking a simple question in an attempt to make civilized conversation. I did not realize you have no capacity for such things." Aikka retorted. Though it was not as satisfying as watching Jordan choke on a drink, bashing him back made Aikka feel a little better.

"My relationship with Molly is none of your business, _pal_." Jordan told him with narrow eyes. He had not been able to think of some cruel comment to send back to Aikka quickly enough, so he had settled with answering his question.

"Is that so? Surely if it was, indeed, none of my business, as you so suggest, then you wouldn't show such aggravation when I try to get close to her." Jordan was growing more frustrated by the second. Not just because Aikka actually had a point, but because he couldn't think of comebacks quickly enough.

"Look! Molly, she's my-" Jordan hesitated, unsure of the correct word. "She's my…"

"She's your what? Teammate? Partner? Love interest?" Aikka taunted.

"How I feel about Molly isn't for you to know! You could never understand how I feel." He added the last bit with pure resentment. Aikka had rubbed his sore spots; he wouldn't be quick to forget this.

Aikka's expression changed at Jordan's last comment. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Jordan scoffed. "How could you know how my heart flutters when she smiles, and how scared I get when she puts herself in danger, or-"

"-How you wish to pull her close in your arms when she performs some foolish stunt, and never let her go so she can never do anything in that manner again?" Aikka interrupted.

"Well, yah." Jordan replied, shocked that Princey had finished his thought, albeit with fancier words. His eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion. "How'd you know what I was thinking? Do you Nourasians have some sort of mind-reading ability?"

A soft chuckle escaped Aikka's lips. "Most certainly not. I just happen to feel the same way about the Earth Princess as you do."

"Earth Princess?! Don't think she's fallen so badly for you that she'll end up in your arms, besides, Molly's no princess." Jordan emphasized his point by depicting everything he had learned about the wild girl in the short time frame he had been with her, which, surprisingly, was a lot. "..and I wouldn't feed her cooking to a Crog!" He concluded his story, causing Aikka to laugh. Whether or not he was allowed to show it, he despised the Crogs and their 'Alliance' just as much, if not more than, Jordan.

As the conversation continued on, it switched from Molly's odd habits to just why both Aikka and Jordan were so attracted to her. It seemed both boys found her personality fascinating. "She's so full of the spark and vigor of life," As Aikka had put it.

To Jordan, she was a trusted partner, and to Aikka she was the first real friend he had on Alwas. Though she was rough around the edges, with a loud mouth and a vicious temper, she emanated an aura of loyalty, like she would rather die then let her friends down. Molly also had some sort of crazy drive, once she had started something, it was difficult to get her to stop. She was an inspiration to both the young Nourasian Prince and the biased Earthen Gunner.

"You forget her own personal beauty," Aikka chimed in as they listed off everything that made Molly… well, Molly.

"Every girl is pretty in her own way. Never tell a girl she isn't pretty, now that's _painful_." Jordan acted as if he spoke from experience, wincing at the word painful.

"Yes," Aikka nodded in agreement. "But Molly has a different sort of beauty. Her beauty is sad, somehow." Jordan nodded in turn; he had felt that as well.

"I wonder why." He pondered. Both ponderfied boys paused to ponder the puzzlement of this puzzle for a ponderful, yet puzzling moment.

"Perhaps it is a scar that keeps her from forming deep relationships with others." Aikka suggested. Jordan agreed; it would explain why she tended to keep everything to herself.

"I wish she'd open up." Jordan told his mug sadly.

"So even her teammates know little about her?" Aikka asked, confused and surprised.

"Yah, Pretty much," Jordan said, still not looking up from his drink. "She stowed away on our ship when the Avatar came to Earth, and ended up racing as our replacement pilot after Rick's accident. I don't even know her last name, or her birth sign."

"We know so little about her, yet both of us practically fell over for her." Aikka commented, his eyes were glassy as they stared into open space.

"Fell over?" Jordan looked up at the Prince, confused.

"It is a Nourasian term. I believe the equivalent in your language is 'fell head over heels'." The Prince explained. "Still, how is it that we could love her?"

"Her past, her family, none of that matters," The blunt words were out of Jordan's mouth before he could think. "It's who she is that's important. I fell in love with Molly, and even if she's done something horrible in her past, or she's the daughter of some evil man, I would still love her. I will love Molly no matter what."

Such bold and caring words from the gunner. Aikka wondered if he had half the compassion and half the loyalty to Molly as Jordan did. Re-think that, he wished he did. There was no doubt in the Prince's mind that if he knew Molly better, there was no way he would let her go, and no way he would ever betray her. But Jordan was here now, declaring his absoluteness.

"Did you tell her?" Aikka finally asked. He dreaded that Jordan had already claimed Molly, no matter how much more the Earthen deserved her.

"Yah." His mouth opened with a sag, and he was once again staring at what little liquid remained in the cup.

Aikka's hear skipped a beat. The anticipation was getting to him. "What did she say?" He asked eagerly.

"She laughed." The gunner spoke with such a doomful angsty tone that his voice sounded devoid of all emotion.

"Pardon me?" Aikka was beginning to think he had heard wrong when Jordan continued.

"She laughed for a ridiculously long time, and then as she wiped the tears from her eyes, told me April first wasn't for a month and a half."

"April first?"

"On Earth it's the holiday known as April Fools Day. It's the day of jokes and tricks when everyone tries to fool their friends." Jordan explained in the monotone voice.

"I see." Aikka replied meekly. He had been rejected, but not in such a way. Jordan's heart must have been torn up into little pieces.

"I liked another girl once." Jordan began. It seemed that in order to sooth his pain, he had to talk, and Aikka, who would have ignored yesterday, was willing to listen to the broken Earther. "I think I was fourteen or fifteen at the time. She was a year older than me. Her name was Emiline, I think. She had this gorgeous long brown hair that she wore in a pony tail all the time. It was so silky that I wanted to reach out and run my fingers through it. After a while, I worked up the courage to tell her how I felt. She turned me down, and gave me a pretty good beating. Man, I _never_ doubted girl's strength after that."

"It's just the opposite for me." Aikka admitted.

"Hah, I thought so." Jordan looked up from his dull rant to glare at Aikka with triumph on his face. "So what's a Princey Boy like you looking at Molly for?"

Aikka frowned at the use of his nickname, but continued on anyways. "I'm a Prince, and heir to the throne, plus I'm an accomplished racer on my planet. Many females would betray their mothers for my hand."

"Sounds pretty good to me," Jordan admitted. He had propped his head up on his hand, staring at Aikka with a dull sort of interest.

"It's horrible." The Prince told him flatly. "They're all so dull, and lack character. It's like I'm constantly being followed by a horde of sucking leaches. Molly was the first girl to not practically mob me, or declare her undying love for me. She actually treated me like a friend, an equal. It was something I had always desired; I couldn't help but fall in love with her."

Jordan snorted, but made no critical comment. An easy silence settled over them. Aikka was surprised at how nice it was to have Jordan to talk to. And not yell or insult either, someone to just talk, someone who would actually listen.

Jordan however, was just surprised that they hadn't tried to kill each other yet. It impressed him that they had been sitting together for this long. What a turn around, to simply talk to Aikka with such ease. The only other person he had talked to like this had been his Mom; he had never really had the chance to sit down and talk anything out with Molly.

The silence persisted until Jordan finally stood up. His drink was gone, and it was getting late. "I should head back to my Pit." He explained to Aikka who was watching him closely.

"I applaud you on your good idea. I should head back to mine as well. Canaan has probably already began to worry about me." The Prince replied, standing also.

Since their pits were so close, Aikka and Jordan took the same route. Nothing was said, and their silence grew again. At last, Jordan turned to leave. It was Aikka who spoke.

"Thank you, Jordan. Your words have made me feel…" The Nourasian paused, unsure of the correct words. "At peace." Jordan gave him a look of mixed confusion and uncaring before finally forming a playful grin.

"Whatever, Princey Boy. I know you just wanted to laugh at my sob story."

"I did not-" Aikka began, pained to see how Jordan was reacting. He froze as the dual-haired boy gave him a grin.

"See you at the next race, when we beat you!" He shouted as he sprinted off, leaving Aikka wondering whether he had gained a friend, and just irritated a rival. He prayed it was the first: a friend was something to be valued.


End file.
